The Premier League has thrown a challenge at Chelsea by scheduling their first Christmas Eve fixture in the league since 1995, placing them on the road. This Sunday, the Blues head to Wolves, aiming to make strides toward the European positions following a somewhat unpredictable beginning to the 2023/24 season.
The Blues enter the game after securing a hard-fought victory against Newcastle United in the EFL Cup quarter-final clash. Meanwhile, their opponents suffered a 3-0 defeat against West Ham United in their recent match. Mauricio Pochettino is expected to make a few changes to the starting XI for this contest as the West London club are already contending with a sizeable absentee list. Carney Chukwuemeka, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Lesley Ugochukwu and Romeo Lavia will likely be out.
4-2-3-1 Chelsea Predicted XI Vs Wolves
Defence
Djordje Petrovic will function in between the sticks for the Blues after conceding one goal in his last outing. Axel Disasi will operate alongside Benoit Badiashile at the centre of Chelsea’s backline as they focus on keeping things tidy at the back throughout the game.
Malo Gusto will function as the right-back while Levi Colwill hopes to put in another productive display on the other side as the left-back. Both of them need to be at the top of their game if they want to restrict the opposition from creating chances from the wide areas.
Midfield
Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo will play as the holding midfielders as they look to make life tough for the home team at the centre of the park. The gifted trio of Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk will operate just ahead of them as part of Pochettino’s attack.
All three of them have to find a way to create enough chances in the final third if the West London club are to emerge victorious in this away contest .
Ian Maatsen will have to settle for a place on the bench as they await their chance to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if needed.
Attack
Nicolas Jackson will spearhead Chelsea’s attack on the offensive end of the field. He has to find a way to cause a few problems for the Wolves defenders this weekend.
Christopher Nkunku will be available for selection on the bench and might come on to influence the game in the final quarter if required.
